“Shutting Hormuz Will Fail“: UK Defense Secretary Warns Iran

   

Hammond gave a speech to U.S. think tank, the Atlantic Council, during a visit to Washington:

 

[Philip Hammond, British Defense Secretary ]: 

"Disruption to the flow of oil through the Straits of Hormuz would threaten regional and global economic growth. Any attempt by Iran to close the Straits would be illegal and would be unsuccessful." 

 

Hammond says Britain's Royal Navy would continue to play a substantial role as part of the Combined Maritime Forces, a U.S.-led, Bahrain-based naval force drawn from 25 nations whose missions include counter-piracy, counter-terrorism and security in the Gulf.       

       

[Philip Hammond, British Defense Secretary ]: 

"The pressure is clearly mounting, the sanctions announcements have clearly rattled Tehran, the Iranian economy is already fragile, and tightening pressure on their revenues and their ability to function as an economy is ratcheting up the pressure on the regime." 

 

Iran threatened last week to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if foreign sanctions were imposed on its crude exports over its nuclear ambitions—a move that could trigger military conflict with economies dependent on Gulf oil.